Lubricating apparatus



C. H.. BUETTNER.

LUBRICATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION men JULY 3.19m.

Patented May 24, 1921.

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UNITED STATES CHARLES H. BUE'ITNER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

LUBRICA'IING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24, 1921.

Application filed July 3, 1919. Serial No. 508,492.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. BUETT- man, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in lubricating apparatus. One of its objects is to provide improved apparatus to reliably feed a dry pulverulent lubricant, such as graphite for instance. Another object is to provide apparatus for such purpose adapted to be conveniently regulated as to the quantity of lubricant fed, or rate of feed. Another object is to provide for a delicate and reliable means to adjust the rate of feed, adapted to be adjusted to feed minute quantities of the lubricant, and to be relied upon to continue to feed such minute quantities uninterruptedly for long periods of time. My invention relates also to certain details of form, combination, and arrangement, all of which will be fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of lubricating apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the same.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 1 is an enlarged detail of the feed adjusting means.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 illustrating a modification.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred embodiments of my invention, in which 10 represents a cup or container in which is deposited the pulverulent lubricating material 11 in a finely divided state adapted to be held in suspension in the atmosphere fora greater or less period of time. Preferably the container 10 has a transparent wall 12 through which the lubricating material may be seen, and an additional supply of lubricant added through the charging port 10 whenever it is obvious that an additional supply thereof is required.

Vert1cally through the center of the cup 10 is a tube 14: which is threaded into the floor member 15 of the cup, and its upper end is threaded to receive a clamping nut 16 above the lid member 17 of the cup. The nut 16 serves to hold the cup members 12,

15, and 1'? in their assembled position. \Vithin the tube 14: is a rod 18 which is preferably soldered or brazed to the tube 141, and has cut or formed therein a plurality of air ports. The upper end of the rod 18, above the nut 16 has mounted thereon an adjustable cap member 19. The member 15 is provided with a threaded sleeve or coupling member 20 by means of which the cup 10 may be attached to a threaded projection 21 or other conduit attached to or leading to the mechanism to be lubricated, as for instance the manifold or the cylinder 22 of an internal combustion engine. A pointer 19 moving over a scale on the member 17 assists in accurately adjusting the cap 19.

The cap men1ber'19 is provided with an air port 2 1 through its side wall which registers more or less perfectly or completely with an air port 25 through the side wall of the upper end of rod 18 outside of the cup. A passage 26 leads from the port 25 through rod 18 to an annular closed chamber 27 between the rod 18 and the internal wall of tube 14. At the lower end of chamber .27 is a port 28 through which air issues from chamber 27 into the chamber of the cup 10 below the main body of the pulverulent lubricant in the cup, and rises therefrom through said pulverulent lubricant into the upper portion of the cup chamber where the air holds in suspension a certain amount of said lubricant. From the upper portion of the cup chamber the air-carrying with it in. mechanical suspension a certain amount of the pulverulent lubricant, depending upon the rapidity with which air is fed through said cup, the fineness, andphysical condition of the lubricant, and other variable con- (litions is fed through the port 29 which leads from the upper portion of the cup chamber to a vertical passage 30 directed downwardly through the rod 18 and thence through the member 21 to the manifold or engine cylinder or other mechanism to be lubricated. An air port 32 preferably leads through the wall of the sleeve '20 whereby air from the exterior of the cup enters and is united to or mingled with the air coming through the passage 30 from the cup chamber and bearing with it the lubricant. When the air supply is entirely shut off, at the ports 24: and 25, air continues to enter at the port 32, but without feeding lubricant from the cup chamber to the manifold.

In practice it is important that the lubricant feed may be regulated so that only a very minute quantity of the pulverulent lubricant shall be fed at each cycle of movement of the mechanism to be lubricated, and as the quantity will vary with the size of cylinders, and also with the number of cylinders, it is important to-be able readily, accurately, and reliably to adjust and regulate from the exterior of the cup the amount of lubricant being fed, and to confine the feed to very minute quantities where required. In order to satisfactorily accomplish these objects I preferably fit the cap member 19 snugly upon the cylindrical exterior of the upper end of member 18 so that the cap member 19 will retain by fric tional engagement any position to which it may be adjusted with reference to the member 18, and so that the ports 24: and 25 may by rotating the cap 19 upon the rod 18 assume any degree of opening from one of full opening to one of entire closure, as

illustrated in Fig. 4. If desired a set-screw 35 threaded, throughthe wall of the cap 19 and'with its point in position to engage and travel in an annular groove 36 at the upper end of the rod 18, see Fig. 4:, may be employed to prevent the cap 19 becoming accidentally detached and lost. Ordinarilyhowever the 'close fit and frictional engagement between the inner wall of the cap 19 and the outer wall of the rod 18 is sufiicient to retain the cap against becoming detached and to hold it in any adjusted position thereon.

As illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 4 the ports 24; and 25 are both cylindrical, and when adjusted so as to partially register as illustrated in Fig. 1 constitute a sufficiently fine adjustment of the air supply for ordinary purposes. In the modification Fig. 5 I have illustrated a modification in which the port 25 through the side wall of the cap member 19 is of noncylindrical outline, and provides for a more delicate adjustment of the air supply to the cup chamber. V

In practicethe suction of the engine causes an air current to flow from the exterior through the ports Qtand 25 to the cup chamber to acquire a suspended charge of lubricant, and from the cup chamber to the conduit 21. The suction of the engine also causes an air current to flow from the exterior through the port 32 to theconduit 21.

The relative volume of air carried through the cup chamber and through the port 32 depends upon the relative size and frictional resistance encountered in the respective air passages, and hence by restricting the passage through the cup chamber the volume of air carried thereby is relatively much less thanthat carried through the port 32, and hence the quantity of pulverulent lubricant fed may be reduced by such regulation ofthe air current through the cup chamber to the very minute quantity best suited for the purpose. Gases other than air may be employed as a carrying medium for the pulverulent lubricant.

The apparatus herein illustrated and described is capable of considerable modification without departing from the principle of my invention.

What I claim is.

1. A lubricating apparatus comprising a chamber to contain a supply of pulverulent lubricant, a fluid and lubricant exit port leading therefrom above the upper surface of the lubricant therein to the place where the lubricant is to be applied, a gas port leading from the exterior of said chamber to a point within said chamber below the upper surface of said lubricant supply and to carry lubricant in suspension to the entrance to said lubricant exit port, and means exteriorly of said chamber to regulate the gas supply to said chamber.

2. Lubricating apparatus comprising a chamber to contain a supply of pulverulent lubricant, a fluid and lubricant exit port leading therefrom above the upper surface of the lubricant therein to the place where the lubricant is to be applied, a gas port leading from the exterior of said chamber to a point within said chamber below the upper surface of said lubricant supply and to carry lubricant upwardly in suspension to the entrance to said lubricant exit port, means exteriorly of said chamber to regulate the gas supply to said chamber, and a branch gas port from the exterior to said gas port leading from the chamber to the place of application of the lubricant. V

3. Lubricating apparatus comprising a chamber to contain a supply of pulverulent lubricant, a gas exit port leading therefrom above the upper surface of the lubricant therein to the place where the lubricant is to be applied, a gas passage leading from the exterior of said chamber to a point within said chamber below the upper surface of said lubricant supply and to carry lubricant upwardly in suspension to the entrance to said lubricant exit port, and an adjustable cap exteriorly of said chamber having a gate adjustable relative to the inlet of said passage to said chamber to vary the volume of gas supplied to said chamber.

4:. Lubricating apparatus comprising a chamber to contain a supply of pulverulent lubricant, a gas exit port leading therefrom above the upper surface of the lubricant therein to the place where the lubricant is to be applied, a gas passage leading from the exterior of said chamber to a point withsage to said chamber to vary the volume of gas supplied to said chamber, and a gas port from the exterior to said port leading from said chamber to the place Where the lubricant is to be applied.

5. Lubricating apparatus comprising a chamber to contain a supply of pulverulent lubricant having a tubular member eXtend ing vertically through said chamber, a gas passage extending downwardly through said tube from the upper portion of said chamber and leading to the place Where the lubricant is to be applied, a gas passage extending through said tube from its upper end eXteriorly of said chamber to a point Within said chamber below the upper surface of the pulverulent lubricant Within said chamber, and a cap member upon the upper end of said tube exteriorly of said chamber and having a gate adjustable relative to the inlet of said gas passage to said chamber to vary the air supply through said tube to said chamber.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

CHARLES H. BUETTNER. 

